Method for the production of cuprous oxide



Patented June 19 1934 METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION or YOUPROUS OXIDE Thomas8'. Swift, Martinez, cane, assi non to The Mountain Copper Company,Limited, a corporation of Great Britain No Drawing. Application June 6,1933, Serial No. 674,597

6 Claims. (Cl. 23147) This invention has for its object the direct ofthe alkali or alkaline earth metals act in the conversion of metalliccopper into cuprous oxame m nner; f r x mpl sea water h been ide(C1120). found to give the desired catalytic action in this Knownprocesses for the manufacture of cup ocess. prous oxide generallyinvolve one of the fo-llow- Apparently the catalytic action is due tothe m,

ing operations: stabilizing of cuprous ions in solution. I there- I.Heating metallic copper to a high temperafore define a suitable catalystas one that stabiture, with limited access of ir, lizes cuprous ions insolution and increases the 2. Heating mixtures of metallic copper andrate at which cup ous de is formed. cupric oxide (0110) to a hightemperature. In Converting a charge f pp Cement into 55, 3. Reducingcupric solutions and precipitating cuprous oxide, I have used coppercement anacuprous oxide therefrom. yzing app a y 4. Electrolysis ofalkaline solutions, using cop- Per cent per electrodes. Copper 93.0 Manycombinations and variations of the fore- Iron 2.0 7a,. going methods arementioned in the literature, Arse ic triOXide 0.6 but very few of themare of commercial im- Sulfuric anhydride 0.4 portance. Lime and magnesia0.1

It has ,been g i fi n time that charging same into a vertical tank witha conicommerclal pro uc Own as copper cemen cal bottom corresponding tothe standard conwhen finely ground 15 valuable plgment m ventionalPachuca tank containing hot water the manufacture 0f Sci-called manna Pand about one pound of sodium chloride to the Also 1t has m lmPwn thatthe toxlc P 100 gallons of water. Air is blown into the tank, mes of themarme palms thus f are dlrect' at the bottom, at a sulficient rate tocompletely 255 proportlona'l to the 9 oxide content: suspend the copperparticles in the water and Cemnt coppelji q r produced h incidentallysupply the necessary oxygen. Live 1719 toxic Value 111 mantle to 1135low steam is introduced into the charge at such a cuprous oxide content.By specialized methods rate as'wm maintain a degree of temperature in ofmoistemng, heating aerating and drying I the neighborhood of 100 C. Ihave successfully 30 have hitherto 9 containing up used temperatures of70 C. to 85 C., and also 75% of cuprous Oxlde- Thls method however 15temperatures as low as C. to 0., but with difficult to control. Thereactions are carried a Slower resultant reaction out in heaps of theproperly prepared material The oxidation to cuprous oxide proceedsuniand if carried in the attempt to produce formly to completion.Careful control is neces- 35v .3 higher percentage of oxldei the resultsary to prevent over-oxidation and conversion is almost invariably anoxldation of the cuprous into cupric oxide. It usually takes about 43oxide to cupric oxide, which latter substance is hours to complete treaction, t th t practically valueless in marine paints. a i

In an efiort to overcome this difficulty, and From the foregoingspecified copper cement I 40} after much experimentation, I havediscovered have by this procedure made a product analyz- I that metalliccopper, either in agitated suspening approximately: sion in water orcharged in such a manner as Per cent to permit the free circulation ofwater and gas CIIDIOHS OXide 9 .7 between and among the surfaces of thecopper Cupric Oxide -pieces or particles, can be oxidized to cuprousMetamc P P oxide by heating and agitating, while introduc- ATSEFIICtmxlqe ing compressed air or other suitable oxygen con- Ferns hydroxld?taining gas. The operation may be carried out slnfunc anhydndze insuitable apparatus, such as the conventional Llme and magnesla Pachucatank in which the air necessary for This product is eminentlysatisfactory in the the reaction also produces the necessaryagitamanufacture of most marine paints; a purer tion. product would, ofcourse, result from the use of The process is aided by the use of asmall peran initially purified copper cement, but the proccentage ofsodium chloride, but other haloid salts ess is not limited to theoxidation of copper ce- 11c;

- temperatures above C; up to the boiling point of the solution used.

4. A' process according to claim 1 in which metallic copper is contactedwith water, steam and air and a suitable cuprous ion stabilizing watersoluble catalyst. g

5. Process according to claim 1 in which the temperature of the mixtureis maintained at about 100 C.

6. Process accordingto claim 1 in which'the metallic copper, iscontacted with water in the presence of sodium chloride at a temperatureof at least about 85 C.

THOMAS B. SWIFT.

